Sonnet 141
by weedsareflowerstoo
Summary: "Maybe you're crazy enough to make a move on Max Mayfield, but I'm not gonna risk my life - and my reputation! - by asking out 'crazy-girl Hopper'" Or, Stranger Things: 10 Things I Hate About You AU
1. Got My Mind Set On You

It all started with Dig Dug, really.

« I hate this overpriced bullshit, son of a bitch, piece of shit! » yelled Dustin while kicking the Dragon's Lair machine with his feet.

It was a regular summer night for the party who had taken a generous amount of their pocket money with them to hit the arcade.

« You're just not nimble enough, but you'll get there one day », said Lucas with a smile. « But until then, princess Daphne is still mine! »

« Whatever, I still top on Dig Dug. »

« You sure about that? »

The four boys all turned their heads in the direction of the voice, their smiles fading. _This loser_ thought Lucas. People like Keith were the ones who gave nerds all around the world a bad reputation. It was written all over the guy's face that girls would never touch him with a stick, with his greasy hair, and his bad breath.

« Sure about what? » asked Dustin worriedly. Keith just shrugged, a smile pulling at his mouth and turned away.

Oh no. Oh no no no no.

Will, Mike, Dustin and Lucas all looked at each other and ran towards the Dig Dug machine. There, on the screen, were the top scores. With Dustin's name in second place.

« No no no no! What the hell! »

« 751300? How is that even possible? » asked Will after reading the first score.

« Who's MadMax? » asked Mike in disbelief.

 _Well, whoever he is, he's a real badass_ , thought Lucas in admiration.

Turns out, they didn't have to wonder for too long who MadMax was after the first day of Junior year when a new student at Hawkins High fitted the profile of the mysterious Dig Dug genius. But to the party's surprise it wasn't a Max, but a Maxine.

And Lucas fell in love.

Well, not _in love_. But he was pretty sure she was his soulmate.

He spent the majority of chemistry class staring at the back of her head, watching the rays of sunshine dance on her fire-colored locks. He felt his heart beat faster every time he saw her in the halls, with her skateboard in one hand and school books in the other. He couldn't help the butterflies in his stomach when she rolled her eyes in class when Troy said something stupid to try and make the rest of the students laugh. He felt blood rush to his cheeks when he saw her at the arcade on Saturdays, absorbed in her games. He felt his knees become weak when she replied « It's Max. » dryly every time a teacher called her Maxine. He'd heard how the other boys mocked her tomboy clothes and attitude, but to him, they were the very reason she was perfect for him. Where else could he find a girl who liked all the things he liked, who was this _cool_ and this _bold_? Not in Hawkins, for sure.

Of course, he thought about actually speaking to her. He thought about it for many months, even. But each time he tried to walk towards her in the hall, he suddenly felt his feet move in another direction and his mouth turn dry and then he felt sick and thanked heavens that at least he didn't come up to her and threw up right at her feet.

The truth was, he didn't know how the hell he was supposed to engage a conversation with her. And the fact that she wasn't exactly the most approachable person was not helping his nervousness. He'd observed her enough to notice that she kept to herself and didn't seem to be looking for friends, the look of disdain she gave anyone who tried to introduce themselves to her being enough to let everyone know that she couldn't care less about meeting people.

To make things even harder, the boys and him weren't exactly ladies' men. To be precise, Will seemed pretty uninterested in dating as a whole and Dustin's approach to the matter consisted in embarrassing himself by talking to girls about science like bad boys in movies talked about their new expensive cars. What he didn't seem to understand was that, unlike expensive cars, science wasn't cool. So his attempts were (unsurprisingly) never really successful.

And Lucas, well… he was black. In white, _white_ , conservative, little Hawkins, and there was nothing he could do about that. Plus, pretty girls made him sweat, _a lot_.

So when Mike went up to them at the Middle school Snowball a few years prior and told them that Sarah Zimmerman'd just kissed him _with tongue,_ it felt clear to all that Mike was probably the most datable out of all of them. Even though Sarah Zimmerman was still, to this day, the only girl who'd ever showed interest in him. _Better that than nothing_ , in Lucas's opinion.

« What would I even say to her? She doesn't even know I exist! Besides, she hates everybody. »

« That's not the point. You can just tell her things like they happened: you found out she was the person who beat Dustin's top score on Dig Dug and you tell her you're impressed. And then maybe if you man up, you'll actually go to prom with a date this year. It's just a girl Lucas, not a dragon. » sighed Mike in frustration as they were walking home with their bikes one day.

« Right, well if it's so easy, how come you don't have a girlfriend already? » Mike rolled his eyes.

However, as the school year was slowly coming to an end and prom was fast approaching, Lucas found himself thinking a lot about what Mike had said.

He was sick of being one of the nerds who doesn't go to prom because he never has a date. No doubt that it was what Keith from the arcade did when he was in high school, and he'd rather die than end up like _fucking Keith from the arcade_. This year, he was getting a girlfriend, damnit. A beautiful, fierce redhead who loved video games just as much as he did.

He spent his weekend debating how he was going to approach her, and, on a Monday morning, he had a plan ready. Well, kind of.

When he spotted her at her locker, with her perpetually annoyed expression, brows furrowed, lips tight, he felt the familiar twist in his stomach. And when he started walking towards her, the usual alarms went off in his brain, telling him to _get the hell away_. But this time he didn't listen to them.

« Hey! » he heard, barely realizing that the words were coming out of his own mouth.

Max turned to him, looking a bit surprised but still curious.

« Hey? » she said, like a question. _Great start, dude. She seems sooo into you already._

« I'm Lucas. Lucas Sinclair. You're Max, right? »

The girl nodded.

« Are you the MadMax who's top score on DigDug, down at the arcade? »

She was looking at him strangely and Lucas thought it maybe had something to do with the fact that he could no longer feel his face. He was also pretty sure he was going to faint if this conversation didn't end soon, but his feet were glued to the ground and her eyes were too pretty. He never noticed how blue they were before and how cute her freckles looked up close, and it made his hands sweat.

 _Gross_.

There was an awkward silence, Max scanning him. But then she blinked and said, with disdain :

« Yeah. You people are shit at this game. »

And just like that, she closed her locker door with a bang, turned around and left.

Lucas stayed still, watching her skate away, her long red hair dancing on her back. He slowly started to breathe again, the oxygen making his brain less cloudy, and then he knew: _this girl was going to be the end of him._

* * *

« I hope you're home tonight, Nancy said she'll call. »

Mike groaned. _Shit_.

« I was supposed to go to Will's. Do I really need to be there every time she calls? »

« She's your sister, Michael! You already missed her call last week. Family's important, I want you to take this seriously. »

 _Yeah, right, family's important. Doesn't look like it these days!_ almost replied Mike.

On the back of the car, Holly was sitting quietly like she always did when there was any sign of tension. It was her own way of dealing with the constant yelling inside the Wheeler house: trying to be as silent as a mouse. That's what she did the night before when their mom and dad were arguing again. She'd tiptoed to Mike's bedroom, who was trying to focus on his comic book and not on the shouting downstairs, and she curled up on the bed next to him until it was over.

He knew that arguments made Holly sad. So when his mom or dad was getting on his nerves, he always fought the urge to respond, to make things worse. There was already enough tension for him to cause any more.

His parent's marriage had been on the verge of destruction for years, but his dad's infidelity, last fall, had been the last straw. It had started when Karen noticed that Ted was coming home late every night and then… it all went to shit.

When they weren't fighting, they just weren't talking or even looking at each other, which almost felt worse. It was clear that they were only trying to hold on just for the kids. They didn't want to divorce in the middle of the school year out of fear that it could affect Mike and Holly's grades, but a divorce was clearly in sight. Nancy, who was far away in New York for college, felt powerless that this was all happening without her being around for her siblings. And Mike had to admit that he wished she was here.

But as much as he missed his older sister, he was also starting to find ridiculous how attached his mom was to Nancy's weekly phone calls, and her insistence on everyone being there for the occasion. They were the only times now where the family was reunited, and trying to smile. There were the four Wheelers, sitting in their perfect little living room, taking turns on the phone, asking Nance about her classes, the friends she was making, how great New York City was, and _Yes, Nancy, things are fine here, don't worry about us_ … But it was all pointless to him. None of it was going to erase the fact that the Wheelers were no longer the Wheelers.

« Also, I spoke to Grandad and Grandma. Turns out they're going to Florida this summer to celebrate their anniversary. » Karen said with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

« Wait, what? » snapped Mike. « Are we still going to visit them? »

Holly and he were supposed to spend the summer at their house, in Toledo. That was all part of his mom's plan: his little sister and him in Ohio while Nancy was going backpacking in Europe. She'd told him, a few weeks ago, when he had the courage to ask her about the upcoming divorce: « Dad and I are going to work things out here, together, this summer. It's a lot of paperwork, lawyers, and adult stuff... I don't want you, or Holly, or Nancy in the middle of this. I know it's not the same as spending the summer here with your friends but it's all I can offer right now. » But he hadn't been mad at all. Finally a break from the mess that was becoming his family life? He'll gladly take it.

« No, Michael. » she sighed. « They'll be there all summer and they want to be by themselves.»

Mike gasped.

« That's such bullshit! »

« Michael, language! »

« They're always by themselves, do they really need to go do that in _Florida_ instead of _being there for us_? Besides, I thought you said you wanted to work things out with dad alone? »

Karen glanced at Mike, then looked at Holly through the rearview mirror. She hated to talk about this when his little sister was around, he knew that, but Mike was too worked up to care right now.

« And that was true. But I can't force them to stay in Toledo with you, can I? There's nothing I can do about it.»

Mike shook his head furiously. There was no way he was staying for any more of this shit. No fucking way.

« Okay, well I'm going to the science camp Mr. Clarke told me about, then. »

Karen raised her eyebrows.

« I thought we were done with that discussion! You're not going anywhere, Michael. We can't allow ourselves to spend that kind of money at the moment, knowing that things are about to get… complicated, for us.»

« Then I'll get a job! » he replied, raising his voice. « Benny's always publishing job offers in the paper. I'll make burgers on the weekends if I have to! There's just NO way I'm staying. »

« Fine, whatever you want », she said, resigned.

There was a long silence after that, nobody in the car daring to say another word, tears of rage ready to fall of Mike's eyes as they were approaching Hawkins High. _That's why I should never say yes when she wants to drive me to school_ , he thought, rubbing his eyes quickly with the back of his hand. He opened the door of the car and put on his backpack, but, just as he was getting out, felt his mom's hand on his arm and turned around.

« Can you just, _please_ , be here tonight, Michael? » her voice was soft now and filled with so much sadness. _She didn't choose this situation either_ , he thought, suddenly feeling guilty.

« Please? » she asked again.

He took a look at Holly in the back seat, her eyes just as pleading as her mom's.

« Yeah. Alright. »

* * *

Max was aware that everyone thought that she never spoke to anybody, but that wasn't exactly true.

At the beginning of the school year, there actually were 3 new students at Hawkins High. Herself, an exchange student from Europe, and Eleanor Hopper.

If Max had just moved to Hawkins, it wasn't exactly the latter's case.

Everybody around town had heard something about Eleanor Hopper before her first day of class. She was the adoptive daughter of the chief of the local police and he had apparently found her when he was still a cop in the big city, a couple of years ago. « _Her real parents were crackheads who never took her to school »,_ said the kids in the halls. That's why after moving to Hawkins with her new dad, she had to catch up on the school program with a tutor for two years before joining the other kids in Junior year.

She was a very shy girl who seemed to like being all by herself, and it wasn't very talkative. Kids were actually pretty interested in her and tried to get to know her, to which Eleanor responded with politeness, unlike Max. Besides, in addition to being a new girl, which is always a boost in popularity, Eleanor Hopper had the advantage of being easy on the eyes, with her smooth brown curls, doe eyes and pink sweaters and she was, therefore, the school's sensation for the first two weeks.

She and Max sat next to each other in their American History class, which was the teacher's idea ( _I'm sure two new students like you will bond easily!_ ), but the redhead had no intention of starting a friendship with anyone, even less with an introverted Mary Sue.

But the positive attention the other new student was gathering didn't last long. A certain incident had earned her a cruel nickname: « the weirdo ». Some jealous girls thought it would be very funny to pull a prank on her and locked her in one of the bathroom stalls after PE. Eleanor, to everyone's surprise, had become enraged. She'd punched the door until her fingers were bloody and screamed at the top of her lungs, so much that she apparently lost her voice for a few days. Not that anyone knew that for sure since she stopped talking to anyone after the event. After that, the few who attempted to bring her out of her shell before suddenly stopped. She was clearly very troubled underneath the surface and her peers mostly left her alone, but it was not an issue since she didn't seem to want to engage with anyone anymore. So, instead of thinking she was a weirdo like everyone else, this event actually sparked Max's curiosity, who was starting to recognize herself in the now very solitary brunette.

Max had to admit Mrs. Fisher wasn't totally wrong, in the end. Although they weren't exactly friends since their conversations were limited to the classroom, it was actually pretty nice to see that she wasn't the only one who didn't seem to want anything to do with the students of Hawkins High.

It was Max who'd started it. « This class is so boring » was the first thing she ever said to Eleanor, to try and start a conversation, but the girl had just nodded, looking surprised that someone was talking to her. Max had kept trying, though, every time they were in class together, taking it as a challenge to make her speak: « Mrs. Fisher's clothes are so boring » she'd said another day. _Nod_. And just like that, it became their little routine. « Teddy Roosevelt was boring » _Nod_. « The civil war was so boring » _Nod_. She never received more than the small head gesture, until suddenly, about a month ago, Eleanor seemed to decide that her neighbor was worthy of her time. « This town's boring » had said Max, expecting the usual. « Very » had replied her neighbor quietly, sparking off one of the redhead's rare genuine smile.

« Hey. Did you spend a shit weekend too? » asked Max when she arrived to class.

Eleanor, or rather El, as Max nicknamed her, shook her head.

« The homework was boring », El said matter-of-factly as Max sat down next to her, smiling.

 _Partners in Hawkins hatred._

* * *

Jennifer Hayes was organizing a party and everyone was invited.

That was what the whole school was talking about on Tuesday morning.

And all Lucas was thinking about was asking Max to go with him.

Sure, he'd only told her one sentence, but now things were different: 1) she knew who he was (sort of) and 2) he was less scared of speaking to her again now that he knew what to expect (sort of).

Just like last time, he went up to her when she was at her locker, trying to ignore the beads of sweat running down his spine underneath his blue and grey flannel.

« Hi! » he said to the back of her head, voice shaking.

She turned and looked at him, looking a little annoyed.

« Yes, stalker? » she said, leaning against the closed metal door, arms crossed over her school books, an impatient look on her face.

« St-stalker? » Lucas was confused.

« Yeah, stalker. Don't you think I noticed that you always stare at me in Chem? » _Shit_. « It's creepy, by the way. Now, are you going to come up to me every day to say hello or are you going to tell me what the hell you want from me? » she asked dryly.

Lucas gulped. Now or never, right?

« I was - hum - I was just wondering if you wanted to go to Jennifer's party, Friday night? »

There it was. The bomb was dropped. He held his breath, searching her face, gauging her reaction, but she was unreadable. Like last time, she let some time pass before she answered, looking somewhat amused :

« Are you asking me out on a date, stalker? » _Jesus. The D-word._

An explosion of thoughts began to erupt in his brain. Was he supposed to say yes? Was it better to play it safe and say no?

« M-maybe » he stuttered dumbly before he could decide the best way to go.

« Maybe? » she sneered. « Have you not decided yet or are do you just like a touch of suspense? »

« Do want to go? » he asked again, feeling his cheeks becoming redder by the second.

« What do you think? » she said, rolling her eyes and turning around to leave.

 _Don't be a pussy._

Without even thinking about what his next move was going to be, he felt his legs move by themselves as he ran behind her in the crowded hall and touched her arm so she faced him again.

« What? » she snapped.

Looking at her straight in her big, pretty blue eyes, he took a deep breath and said :

« You're great. You're amazing. You're beautiful. You're the best Dig Dug player ever. I really want to go on a date with you. »

 _Well_. As laughable as his verbal diarrhea was (and he would cringe about it later, no doubt about that), it was still pretty ballsy. So much so that Max looked absolutely speechless for once. Then she blinked a few times and shook her head in disbelief, eyes unsure.

« You - you really want to go on a date with _me_? »

She didn't sound mocking anymore and pride blossomed in his chest at the fact that he'd just made her stutter.

« Yes », he replied, with a boost of confidence.

He saw the hesitation on her face.

« Just one date, it's all I ask. And then you can decide for yourself if I'm a huge moron. But I don't think you will. »

« Well, that's presumptuous of you. » she sniggered, coming back to her usual self.

Then she seemed to consider things for a second, but in a mischievous way, like a child who's planning his next prank.

« You know what? Okay, I'll go on a date with you, stalker. But since you seem so confident that you're _not_ a moron, I have one condition. »

 _Yes, yes, yes. Anything._

« Okay. What is it? »

« You know Eleanor Hopper? »

« The weirdo? » asked Lucas, his eyebrows knitted in confusion. What did the weirdo have to do with any of this?

« Yeah, her. I'll go on a date with you Friday night. »

« Great. »

« Only if she has a date too. » she finished with a challenging grin.

Lucas's mind went blank.

« You want me to find the weirdo a date? » he tried to process.

Max nodded, happy with herself.

 _What the hell was this?_

« Seriously? » he asked, unsure if she was joking or not.

« Yep. » she smiled.

« But… she's never going to say yes to a _date_. She avoids every living human! »

To be fair Max did too, but Lucas liked her enough to face that. On the other hand, he didn't know anyone who'd have the courage to take a crazy girl on a date just because.

« Well, I guess we'll never go on our date then. Too bad », she replied, faking a sad smile before turning away again.

« Wait! » Lucas sighed, stopping her for the second time that day.

« If I find someone to take her on a date Friday, do you _promise_ me you'll go with me to Jennifer's party? »

« Oh God, you really won't give up! » she said, rolling her eyes. « Yeah, I promise. Whatever. » she scoffed. « Good luck, stalker! »

She turned around, clearly amused by all of this, and this time Lucas let her go.

 _So that's what people mean when they say « playing hard to get ». Well if it's playing she wants..._

* * *

« Guys. I need your help », said Lucas while he sat down with the rest of the party.

« I just talked to Max » he continued, out of breath from running all the way to the cafeteria. « She agreed to go on a date with me, to Jennifer's party. »

« What? How much did you pay her? » laughed Dustin while Mike and Will exchanged amazed glances.

« That's the thing. She accepted to go with me on one condition, and that's why I need your help. »

« What is it? » asked Mike with curiosity, wondering why Lucas seemed so serious all of a sudden.

« She said she'll go only if… I get Eleanor Hopper a date too. » he finished with a sigh.

Three startled pairs of eyes blinked at Lucas for a minute and then —

They all erupted in laughter at the same time, Dustin banging his fists on the table.

« Dude, you're so stupid! » Mike said, being the first one to recover. « She obviously said that on purpose. Nobody even wants to be friends with that girl! »

« Yeah, and going on a date with her would ruin anyone's reputation, and Max knows it! It was just a twisted way of saying no. » finished Will, shaking his head.

« Guys, please, no, it's serious! It may be the only chance I get to date Max! She's testing me, she wants to see I how far I'm ready to go… »

« And the answer is: too damn far, my friend », scoffed Dustin.

« It's just one date. Can one of you just try, at least? » begged Lucas.

« Even if one of us tried, there's no way she'll ever say yes. » asserted Dustin. « I have Spanish with her and I swear, every time someone talks to her she gives them a death glare. Maybe you're crazy enough to make a move on Max Mayfield, but I'm not gonna risk my life - and my reputation! - by asking crazy-girl Hopper out just so you get a date with a girl who's not even gonna end up happening. Sorry, man. »

« Same here, sorry. She's messing with you. » approved Will.

Lucas shook his head in disappointment and then turned to Mike.

« What about you? Are you gonna be a pussy too? » he asked his dark haired friend.

Mike thought for a minute. Seeing how desperate his friend was, he might as well try and make this situation useful, right?

« Okay. I'll try », he answered.

Lucas gasped, which earned him a mocking look from Will and Dustin.

« But only if you pay me! » he added.

« Yeah, okay, no problem! I still have all the money my aunt gave me last year », responded Lucas with excitement.

 _Jesus, he'll sell his soul for this,_ thought Mike. _Ridiculous_.

« Why do you need money all of a sudden? » Will asked him.

« To get enough money for Mr. Clarke's science camp this summer. »

« Weren't you supposed to go to your grandparent's? » said Dustin.

« Yeah, well, they decided to go to Florida for their anniversary and my Mom said that spending such a large amount of money for a summer camp isn't reasonable right now. So I guess it's either working at Benny's now and leaving for camp after or… staying here. » he finished, looking at the empty tray in front of him. « So wouldn't say no to a little help. »

« That sucks man », told Dustin, sorry for his friend. The party knew about the Wheeler's divorce and how much it affected Mike, even though he avoided speaking about it. They'd all been friends for long enough to understand each other without words anyway.

« Well I can't promise you much, but I can give you a little advance. How much do you need? » asked Lucas.

Mike hesitated for a second. Was he really that desperate?

He thought about the shouting that he could still hear resonating in his head. The silent breakfasts in the sighs of his dad, drinking his evening whiskey all alone in the living room. His mom fighting back her tears as she washed the dishes.

 _Yeah_. He _was_ that desperate.

The girl was _definitely_ a weirdo. She was in his English Literature class and yet he never even heard her speak. But it seemed like the only real obstacle was how wary she was since the bathroom incident. Maybe once he started talking to her and showed her that he was a nice guy, it won't be that hard to gain her trust and ask her out. As for the money, he already had a decent amount of dollars in his bank account from his work at the ice cream shop last summer and he wasn't too eager to flip burgers at Benny's just yet. Plus, it's not like he had anything to lose anyway, he was already at the bottom of the school's food chain.

Lucas was right, it was just _one_ night. How difficult could it be to ask a girl on a date?

He looked at his desperate friend.

« How much can you give me? »


	2. Get Outta My Dreams, Get into My Car

(WARNING: brief mention of violence)

* * *

« _Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives…_ » declared Macdonald Carey's voice, as the familiar hourglass was rotating to the music of the soap opera's opening credits.

That was El's guilty pleasure after school, once her homework was done. There was nothing better, in her opinion, than escaping her own life for 40 minutes to watch her favorite characters argue, cry, laugh, fall in love… All these plot twists and crazy adventures they were going through made her life seem pretty boring in comparison, but she couldn't help it.

« I really don't get why you always watch this stuff. Who would dream of having a life filled with so much drama? » often said Hop. But that wasn't what it was about for El. She didn't want a drama-filled life. Having experienced first-hand what drama felt like after all the students started treating her like an asylum escapee after the bathroom incident… she knew it wasn't something to long for. Sure, nobody was talking to her, but at least people were leaving her alone and her life was now gloriously uneventful.

The fact was, soap operas made her _feel_ things.

After Hopper had adopted her, it was all she had looked for. At first, she'd spent hours in front of the television, wondering what it was like to have a life where your only problem was the infidelity of your husband, bored to death as she waited for her new father to come home from his work at the police station. But episode after episode, she had started to feel for these people and their misfortunes. She had cried with them when one of their family members died. She was excited about their upcoming weddings and pregnancies.

Therefore, she had started to look for the same feelings elsewhere: in movies, in music, and, most of all, in books. Even though she still loved watching soap operas, she found that books were the only form of storytelling that could depict the raw emotions of the characters so well that she could feel them in her guts. She felt like her favorite heroes were right there next to her as she went through the pages, making her feel all kinds of things she never felt before, and, some other times, taking her back to her own memories with such accuracy that it felt like the author had peeked through her soul.

That was why English Literature was her favorite subject in school. It always made her discover new authors she'd never heard of before. Last semester, for example, she'd been completely transfixed by Charlotte Brontë's _Jane Eyre,_ so much that she decided to ask Hopper for more of her books for Christmas. To her delight, he had gifted her not only _Shirley_ and _Villette_ , but also Emily Brontë's _Wuthering Heights,_ and in just a week El had devoured them all.

Hopper was pleased when she decided to take a small job at the local bookstore after school, to help him make ends meet. They weren't exactly rich, she knew that, and he made sure she didn't feel forced to work if she didn't want to. But she told him how happy it would make her to be around so many books a few times a week. She even hoped that maybe she could read some of them there in her free time. He definitely preferred her reading all day than watching « poorly acted none-sense » on TV.

But still, that was the scene he walked on when he arrived home from work that night: Eleanor sitting in the navy blue couch of their tiny living room, eyes glued to the screen, an empty plate on the coffee table in front of her (that certainly must have contained Eggos at one point).

« Hey, kid. Had a good day at school? » he asked as he took his hat and coat off and placed them on the hook next to the door.

« Yes » answered the girl. « How was work? »

« Amazing… Today's big incident was a howl attacking old Eleanor Gillespie's head, which is pretty much the most exciting thing that ever happened here » he answered sarcastically, helping himself to a beer in the fridge.

For a long time after they came to Hawkins, El thought that Hopper missed his work in Chicago. Things sure weren't as interesting here, for a city cop. But with time, she had come to understand that it was exactly what he was looking for when he suggested that they moved back to his hometown. Yes, things were more interesting in the big city, but they were also more gruesome, more macabre. Here, at least, he wasn't getting nightmares from the things he saw during the day. So when he came home in the evenings and complained about how bored he was, El knew that, deep down, he wasn't really complaining at all.

He came back into the living room, cold beer in hand, and sat down next to her on the couch, whose springs sighed under his weight.

« I also had your school counselor on the phone. »

 _Oh._

« Do you mind if we turn this off for a minute? » he asked gently, gesturing to the TV.

She executed herself, so worried about what was coming next that she didn't even care that she was going to miss half of the episode.

« Mrs. Andrews said she'd spoken to your teachers. Apparently, you're not participating in class. »

El shrugged, looking into her lap.

« Why is that, El? » he asked, reaching for her hand to get her to look at him.

« I don't know. I don't like it. »

« You don't like what? Participating? »

She nodded. Hopper sighed:

« Nobody _likes_ it, kid. But it's a thing you gotta do. It shows the teachers you care. »

« And what if I don't care? » retorted El. The man in front of her frowned, seemingly confused.

« What do you mean you don't care? You don't care about school? » He marked a pause before continuing with hesitation: « Is it still about those girls bullying you? »

El shook her head, looking irritated.

« No, it's not about that! »

But the sheriff didn't seem very convinced. He let out a sigh and put his beer can down on the wooden coffee table before looking at her again.

« Look… I'm not gonna pretend to know how you feel. I don't. There's a good chance I never will. » El looked down once again. « But I know why you react this way. Opening yourself to the world around you is still hard… but it's something you _need_ to do. That's why I took you with me. To offer you a chance at a normal life, something you never had. » She felt the familiar tightness in her throat and tears started to fill her eyes, but she didn't let them fall. « I don't want to push you. I just want you to try. You can go one step at the time if that's what you need to do. But you need to take the first step, at least. Even if it's the hardest one to take. » She felt one of his hands on her cheek, wiping away a tear she didn't feel escaping. « You understand what I'm trying to say, kid? » he asked gently.

She nodded and scooted closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder. His shirt smelled like beer and cigarettes with a tiny hint of sweat, but, as gross as it seemed, she always found some reassurance in that scent. It felt like home.

He placed a kiss on her forehead, his beard tickling her skin.

Then, he watched the end of Days of Our Lives with her and didn't complain once.

* * *

What had he gotten himself into?

Bouncing his leg up and down in nervousness, earning annoyed looks from the students next to him, Mike was sitting in English Literature class wondering how he could ever get himself out of this mess.

Two rows before him was the source of his troubles: Eleanor Hopper. She was sitting on her chair, in a baby blue sweater, biting the end of her pen absentmindedly as she listened, completely absorbed in Mr. Wyatt's class on Shakespeare's sonnets.

What a fool he had been to think this was going to be easy. Never in his life had he talked to this girl, and now he was supposed to ask her out on a _date_? To make things even worse, he only had four days to do it, otherwise, Lucas wouldn't be able to go to Jennifer Hayes's party with Max Mayfield. And he wasn't going to get the money he was promised.

Girls weren't his forte, no matter what the other boys in the party thought. Yes, he'd been kissed by a girl once but it didn't happen exactly like he'd said to his friends. At the last Hawkins Middle Snow Ball before high school, Sarah Zimmerman had come up to him and told him she had a secret to tell him. She'd dragged him to one of the empty halls, _Twist of fate_ by Olivia Newton-John resonating from the gym next door, and had pressed her mouth against his, covering it in her sticky lip gloss. He hadn't moved, too shocked to know how to react, and then she had slipped her tongue into his mouth and awkwardly poked his with it. The whole thing had been a wet, uncomfortable experience and Mike was actually pretty thankful that it hadn't lasted long. Of course, he was proud to be the first one to have kissed a girl and didn't hesitate to show off in front of the rest of party. What he didn't tell them was that he saw Sarah's friend give her a 20 dollar bill right after.

There was no way he was ever going to tell them that his first kiss was just a cruel bet.

Of course, he'd had crushes before, but only small ones. Never in his life had he liked a girl enough to risk rejection, so he'd always kept it to himself. Asking a girl out was something he had no idea how to do. But it was too late to go back now, for a number of reasons he had listed in his notebook in order of importance: 1) he _really_ needed the money 2) Lucas counted on him and _when a member of the party requires help, we must provide that help_ 3) he would look really fucking stupid if he came back saying he didn't at least try 4) he couldn't lie and say that he tried because _friends don't lie_.

He was too absorbed in his thought to notice that the bell had just rung and that the people around him were beginning to clear up their desk. As he started to do the same, his eyes looked for the Hopper girl, who was putting back her books in her red backpack, taking her time.

She was pretty, he wasn't blind. Like all of the other boys in school when she arrived at the beginning of the year, he was impressed that a pretty girl like her could have been hiding in Hawkins for two years without him ever seeing her. He had witnessed the interest she had gathered before it was revealed how much of a basket case she was. Maybe if she wasn't so crazy he might have had a small crush on her. That would at least make things easier for him.

 _Just talk to her about something easy, just talk to her about something easy, just talk to her about something easy_ , he repeated to himself as he gathered the courage to walk up to her. She didn't even notice him, but he decided to go for it anyways.

« Hey », he heard himself say. « That was a - um - pretty interesting class, right? »

She looked up at him and the first image that came to Mike's mind was one of a deer caught in headlights. The fact that her eyes were literally doe-like didn't help, big and light brown, with long lashes that were thick but still looking soft like feathers.

She looked around, slightly confused and Mike realized that she was making sure he was talking to her and not someone else.

 _That's awkward._

« What? » she asked, her voice softer than he imagined.

He smiled, trying to be friendly, as he reformulated:

« Shakespeare's sonnets. It's interesting, don't you think? You looked like you really enjoyed this class. »

Yes, it was pretty lame, and yes, he was aware of it. But he had to start somewhere, after all.

Only, his attempt at conversation failed completely. She looked at him like he had just insulted her or like he was being incredibly rude and said, in a calm but firm tone, looking straight into his eyes :

« Leave me alone. »

She put her backpack on without looking at him and walked towards the door, her shoulder brushing his softly before she disappeared into the hall.

* * *

« It's not like she attacked you or anything! » said Lucas. « She probably thought you were going to be mean to her or something. »

The weather was starting to get warmer and the feeling that the of the end of the school year was approaching was floating in the air. The boys had decided to go and have lunch on the grass near the school parking lot, the pale skin of their arms soaking up the sun as they laid down of sat cross-legged, squinting their eyes at the rays of sunshine above them.

« She was an ice cube, Lucas! », replied Mike, exasperated. « I can try again if you really want. But if it doesn't work, sorry but I give up. »

« I think you need to show her you're actually interested in her », said Dustin, chewing his bologna sandwich thoughtfully. « You need to learn what she likes and dislikes, what her interests are. »

« Yeah, like pushing people away, you mean? She _does_ seem to enjoy that », Mike rolled his eyes. « Besides, how am I supposed to get to know what she's into if she refuses to talk to me? »

« Can't you just ask Max this sort of thing? » asked Will to Lucas, who shook his head no :

« I highly doubt she's going to help make things easier for me, otherwise I wouldn't have had to ask Mike to help me. This is a big, elaborated, test to see how far I'm willing to go. It's _supposed_ to be hard. »

A long silence fell in the group, each boy lost in their thoughts, trying to come up with a plan. It was what they always did together, for as long as Mike remembered. They were like one brain divided into four bodies, elaborating theories, experiments and drawing conclusions for whatever scientific question was intriguing them. He never would've thought that one day, asking out a girl would be their new mystery needing to be solved. But, truthfully, Eleanor Hopper and Max Mayfield were not regular girls, they were enigmas themselves.

« I have an idea! » suddenly shouted Dustin, the rest of the party sitting up straight, all of their attention on him, waiting for him to explain.

« Will, your mom is friend with the sheriff, right? » he asked.

« Yeah » answered Will.

« Okay. You have access to some insider knowledge about the life of the Weirdo. You need to use it! Ask your Mom about her, and see what info you can get. As for me, I have Spanish with her and Mr. Sanchez gave us a super hard story to read. I can ask her to help me - she always gets good grades for reading exercises - and she will not be able to resist this smile » Dustin said, grinning, the rest of the party rolling their eyes. « I can get to know her a little bit and Will and I can report everything to you, Mike. And then, all you'll have to do is transforming yourself into the Weirdo's dream boy and _voilà_! » he finished, quite please with himself.

The dark haired boy looked unsure.

« And if this doesn't work, we forget this whole thing and you'll still pay me for trying? » Mike asked Lucas.

« Deal! »

* * *

Max's heart skipped a beat when she saw that he was there already.

She knew what was about to come.

There'll be silence as she'll climb into the car with him. Then there'll be a simple phrase, stating the fact. _« You were late again »._

She will not answer. There was nothing to answer. Nothing she could say will be enough anyway. She could say that she was just 2 minutes late, what was the big deal? She could say that she just had to go to her locker real quick to pick up a book she needed for tomorrow's biology assignment. She could say that there were a lot of people in the halls, that it was crowded, she couldn't go any faster unless she pushed people out of her way. She could just say she was sorry. Instead, she'll say nothing, her mouth unable to form words, her hands trembling on her lap around her biology textbook, her eyes fixed on the road.

He'll say _« You know how much I hate to wait »_. He'll say _« You hear me, bitch? I hate to wait for your stupid ass. Next time you can skate home, you little shit. »_. She'll feel a single tear on her cheek, on the side of her face that he couldn't see. She'll make no move to wipe it away, too scared that he would notice she was crying. He'll grab her wrist, maybe. Maybe he'll hold it so tight that his nails will pierce her skin again. _« Hey, did you hear me this time? »._ Maybe he'll just wait until they arrive home to do it. Maybe this time it's her that he'll hit in the face instead of her mom, his breath stinking of cheap whiskey. Maybe _she_ 'll be the one to leave the house with a black eye tomorrow instead of her mom. Secretly, she hoped it would be the case.

Max held her books tightly on her chest, her knuckles almost turning white. She kept her head low, eyes on the concrete of the school parking lot, avoiding his eyes, the brave mask she put on at school every day slowly crumbling with every step she took. She wasn't Mad Max in front of him, she was weak, she was fragile, she was _powerless_.

She sat on the passenger side, still avoiding his gaze. He climbed in as well and a strong smell of liquor filled the vehicle as the door closed behind him, so strong it almost made her feel dizzy.

She was a mouse, he was the cat. She was trapped.

« You were late again. »

* * *

Eleanor loved the smell of paper.

Every time her boss, Mrs. Altman, got a box full of new books to open and sort in the right shelves, El always asked to it herself just so she could be open them one at a time and have a quick sniff when none was looking.

That was what she was doing that Thursday afternoon, after school. The store was only open for a few more hours and as always, they weren't more than two customers.

Hawkins was not a place were people enjoyed reading, El had come to understand. People were more into TV these days, and even Mrs. Altman was currently watching her favorite program from behind the counter.

Eleanor was taking her time, organizing copies of _Cat's Eye_ by Margaret Atwood, when the store's door opened and she turned her head, ready to say her usual shy « Hello » to the arriving customer.

But it wasn't a client. It was _that_ boy from her English Literature class, the tall, lanky one with dark hair. The one who tried to talk to her the other day.

 _Mike Wheeler_ , she remembered. He seemed like one of those people who just belong perfectly where they are, unlike her. Hawkins born and raised. He always participated in class and, even though Eleanor knew he wasn't hanging out with the popular kids, he was always surrounded by his group of friends. There was the black one, whose name she didn't know, the one with the curly hair, Dustin, who she knew from her Spanish class, and the shy one with the bowl cut, Will. The last one was the son of the lady Hopper was friend with, Joyce, the one who sometimes came home and had a few cigarettes with him when she was already in bed.

She had no idea why he tried to talk to her after class, she didn't even give it much thought. It was probably nothing good. Nobody ever talked to her unless it was to be mean. Except Dustin, from her Spanish class. That boy was nice to her. She had helped him the day before for an assignment and he had walked her home. They had talked about a lot of things, even though she never said more than two sentences, but it was one of her little victories. There were now 2 people that she liked at Hawkins High that seemed to like her too: Max, the tomboy from American History, and Dustin. But the way that boy Mike had come to her after class, attempting to make small talk, she had found it very obvious that he wanted something from her and she had felt very unsafe.

Mike's dark eyes found hers and she almost dropped her pile of books. He had a satisfied look on his face, like her confusion was exactly what he expected when he came here. It became clear to her that he didn't come here looking for something to read. He had been looking for her.

She quickly turned her back on him, her face becoming redder than the traffic light outside.

His voice, low but still a little boyish, replied politely to Mrs. Altman salutations, who was still absorbed in the commercials on her TV screen. El heard his footsteps coming closer and closer to her, and then, felt a small tap on her shoulder. She turned around, her face, hopefully, back to its normal shade.

« Hello! » the boy smiled and Eleanor noticed how big and goofy his smile was and the little freckles that dusted his cheeks and nose.

« I'm looking for a copy of _A_ _Midsummer's Night Dream_. Can you show me where it is? » he asked.

Their English Lit teacher had asked them to pick a play and write an essay about it for their final exam, which would be in a few weeks. Coincidentally, she had picked the exact same play. Of course, she had already read it and analyzed it, her copy full of pencil notes in the margins and highlighted quotes.

Strangely, she felt a little disappointed by this. Sure, she had told him to leave her alone the other day when he tried to talk to her after class, but that was because she was sure he was going to mock her a few seconds after for the remaining people in the class to see or something. That was what she was used to. But when he had walked through that door and their eyes had met, Eleanor had hoped for just a second, that maybe, just maybe, there was someone who was actually willing to talk to her, so much so that they had searched for her outside of school, in a place were nobody else was around.

She led him to the shelves in the back where all of the plays were stored in alphabetical order and looked for _A_ _Midsummer's Night Dream._ When she found it, she held it out for him and he took the book in his hands, turning it over to look at the back cover.

« Have you read it? » he asked.

« Yeah », she answered and he smiled again, gently. It was like he was trying not to be too aggressive, like he knew that he needed to be patient with her, to not pressure her.

« I'm Mike by the way. Mike Wheeler. »

 _I know_ , she wanted to say.

She wondered for a moment if she should introduce herself as well. He probably knew who she was, considering the reputation she had at school. Finally, she decided to say:

« I'm Eleanor. Hopper. »

« I know », he said, smiling again. « Do you mind if I call you El? »

She shook her head no.

What was this? El was confused. What did a boy like Mike Wheeler want from her? Why did this remind her of the soap operas she watched, when a man was trying to seduce a woman without looking too obvious?

« What's the play about, El? » he asked, leaning against the shelf a little awkwardly, like it wasn't the type of thing he usually did.

 _Oh_. That definitely reminded her of soap operas.

Something about this boy, maybe his own uneasiness, made her feel calmer. Like she was the one in control of the situation.

« It's about four Athenian lovers: Hermia, Lysander, Demetrius and Helena during the wedding celebrations of Theseus, the Duke of Athens, and Hippolyta, the Amazon Queen. Hermia is supposed to marry Demetrius but her and Lysander are in love. Helena, on the other hand, is in love with Demetrius but he doesn't know it. Hermia and Lysander plan to flee city and Helena reveals that plan to Demetrius in the hope that he will fall for her instead, but he goes to look for them and they all end up in an enchanted forest where a fairy manipulates them with love juice and messes with their feelings for each other », she said, practically out of breath.

Never before had she talked to someone who wasn't Hopper for that long. Mike seemed to realize that as he looked half surprised, half impressed, his mouth slightly open in shock. She cleared her throat and added, to fill the silence:

« It's really good »

Mike came back to his senses and smiled at her again, his eyes sparkling in amusement, making her tummy all tingly.

« I'm looking forward to reading it. »

He then looked suddenly shy, like he didn't know what to say next and she mentally slapped herself for being so awkward and making people uncomfortable.

« You can pay for it at the counter », she said, turning back before she could make the situation even worse.

« Wait, El! »

He still seemed very nervous and Eleanor didn't understand why. It couldn't possibly be because of her, could it?

« I was wondering if you were going to Jennifer Hayes's party tomorrow night? » he asked, his voice trembling a little at the end.

 _A… party?_

Did he not hear about her being a total weirdo? Did he not hear everybody at their school say mean things behind her back?

A million questions marks were dancing in her head until it all clicked into place.

Him trying to talk to her after class.

Him coming all the way to the bookstore and looking like he was happy to find her there.

The fact that he called her El and leaned against the bookshelf like he was trying to be a hero from a romance novel.

The fact that she compared this situation to a romance novel.

His nervousness.

Him talking about going to a party.

El almost gasped when she realized: Mike Wheeler was flirting with her.

Oh, God.

 _Mike Wheeler was asking her out_.

« I… I don't know », she answered, amazed that she was even able to talk.

It was a lie, of course. There was no way _she_ was invited to a party.

Mike's hands were tapping the book cover, probably to calm himself down, as he asked what she knew was coming:

« I was wondering if you would like to go with me? »

That was the one thing she hadn't thought about.

The fact that a boy - a cute boy, she had to admit - was apparently interested in her was pretty pleasing. But did she really want this? Did she really want to go on dates, and even worse, to _parties,_ when she barely had friends… when she barely knew how basic human interactions worked? She was tempted to say no. It was okay for her if her life stayed the exact same way until she died: flat, uneventful. _Safe_.

But then she thought about her discussion with Hopper a few days prior.

 _You need to take the first step, at least. Even if it's the hardest one to take._

And damn, it was going to be hard.

So she took it.

« Okay »

Mike smiled, taken by surprise.

And, incredibly, El smiled back.

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Hello! I'm really happy so many of you liked the first chapter, I hope you enjoyed the second as well! A few things I would like to say:

\- I've never written a multi chapter fanfic before and I've never written for the stranger things fandom, so sorry if things seem a little messy sometimes

\- English is not my native language. I'm sorry if there are some mistakes, I'm truly doing my best and this is a good exercise to improve my English!

\- I'll upload once a week on Fridays/Saturdays, maybe more if I finish a chapter earlier than expected

\- There will be no Billy in this fic, simply because he's not relevant to the story. The big asshole in Max's life is her stepfather

\- All the chapter titles are named after a song that would have been on the radio at the end of the party's junior year. The first one was after George Harrison's song, this chapter is after the Billy Ocean song and *spoiler kinda* next chapter is going to be named Need You Tonight, in reference to the INXS song

\- *little self-promo* my tumblr is weedsareflowerstoo if you want to follow me there, I post about a lot of things I love, including ST.

Have a nice week!

C. xx


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